The City Charter requires a runoff election for the top two vote-getters in the event no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote. These candidates are Richard Skorman and Steve Bach, who received 35.85% and 33.41%, respectively.

Steve Bach

Richard Skorman

Thus the battle begins. So far, the candidates have squared off at one debate, and there are more in the works before the May 17 election deadline.

So what will make the difference in the runoff election? YOU!

VOTE!

Voters who received a mail ballot for the April 5 election will also receive a mail ballot for the May 17 runoff. If you did not vote in the November 2010 election and have not updated your registration status with the City Clerk’s office, you are considered inactive and will not receive a mail ballot for the runoff election, unless you follow these simple steps:  

• Voters with no recent changes of name or address can go to the City Clerk’s Office, 30 S. Nevada Avenue, Suite 101, with identification, to request a mail ballot. An inactive voter ballot request document is also available for download at the City of Colorado Springs website. You may mail  or hand-deliver this request  at least a week prior to the election (if you’re mailing it, please allow adequate time for processing and mailing).
• Voters who have a name or address change must first get an updated Voter Registration form from one of the three El Paso County Election Offices. The downtown office is Centennial Hall, 200 S Cascade Avenue, open M-F 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. You may then go to the City Clerk’s Office to request a mail ballot.

More information on the election process can be found on the City of Colorado Springs website.

YOUR OPTIONS:

If you haven’t yet decided who you will support for Colorado Springs Strong Mayor, here’s all the information you could want, and more:

Candidate websites:

http://www.stevebachmayor.com/

http://skorman4mayor.com/

Voter Guides (some include content for other candidates):

Citizens Project’s Freedom Watch Voter Guide

Colorado Springs Independent Voter Guide (includes endorsements)

Downtown Partnership Candidate Survey

The Gazette Voter Guide and Endorsements

Greater CS Chamber of Commerce Endorsements

Focus on the Family Candidate Survey

KRCC Voter Guide

Despite an overnight vote-counting hiatus, unofficial results are now available at the City Clerk’s website, and we have the skinny right here.

Citizens Project congratulates all the candidates on successful campaigns! Your newly elected City Council members include (in descending order of votes, then by district):
Jan Martin
Merv Bennett
Val Snider
Brandy Williams
Tim Leigh

Angela Dougan – District 2
Lisa Czelatdko – District 3

Ballot issues 1A and 1B also passed, creating new districts in 2013 and allowing the strong mayor to attend Council meetings.

However, one seat is still up for grabs. Who will be Colorado Springs’ first Strong Mayor in over 80 years? Regulations require a runoff election between the top two candidates in the event neither candidate secures more than 50% of the vote. That means that Colorado Springs will get to choose between candidates Steve Bach and Richard Skorman in another all-mail election on May 17, 2011.

So what’s next? Citizens Project is working on a supplemental voter guide for the runoff election, and we will hold an election forum for the two candidates on April 26, 2011. Details are below.

Decision 2011: Strong Mayor Debate

Presented by Citizens Project, the Colorado Springs Independent, and KRDO
Tuesday, April 26
6:30-8:00pm
Stargazers Theatre, 10 Parkside Dr, 80910
Free and open to the public, simulcast on krdo.com

Didn’t vote in the municipal election? You can still vote in the runoff! Don’t miss this opportunity to make your voice heard!

• Check out KRCC’s Voting Guide, including audio of the debates
• Read John Hazlehurst’s recap of the Mayoral debate
• Watch a video about ”Reform Team’s” boycott of the City Council debate
• Check out Citizens Project’s Voter Guide

Citizens Project thanks our community sponsors and media panel: 9to5, National Association of Working Women – Colorado Chapter; Artemis Women; Colorado Springs Branch NAACP; Colorado Springs Independent; KRCC; League of Women Voters – Pikes Peak Region; Pikes Peak Equality Coalition; Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains; the Pride Center; The Gazette; and the Women’s Resource Agency

• Vote for Plus One in the Gazette’s online poll (click here and scroll down, in the right-hand column).

• Forward this and ask your friends and colleagues to do the same.

• Write to the City Council and ask them to pass Plus One. Click here for a list of City Council Members and contact information. You can also email all council members at allcouncil@springsgov.com.

• Write a letter to the editor and post on online comment voicing your support for the plan. Send to opinion@gazette.com.

City Council members pay attention to these, so your letters and vote MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Read the story and take the poll here:  http://www.gazette.com/articles/city-90978-employees-href.html

You can find some talking points in Barb Van Hoy’s comment posted in the Gazette’s online comment section, reprinted here:

“The “Plus One” policy being proposed by Citizens Project would allow all city employees to buy into the city’s employee health insurance plan for one family member, if they are not already eligible for benefits for a spouse or dependent children. It is not really accurate to call this a “same-sex benefits” plan because that is only one of several types of qualifying family members. Employees could add an adult dependent child, a dependent parent, a domestic partner, or dependent grandparent. The employee would pay the full premium, rather than be subsidized by the city as current family members are (and as the 2003 policy did for same-sex couples that cost the cit $6,000). That’s one reason it is budget-neutral (the premium covers the full per-participant cost in the health plan.) The other reason it is cost-neutral is that the demographic population as a whole that is projected to buy in is not expected to increase the overall costs (based on the analyses of benefits experts).

Now is the time for Colorado Springs to begin catching up to the private sector, as well as the most successful cities across the country by adopting better, more inclusive employment practices. Whatever your personal opinion on same-sex couples, or single mothers or 35 year-old kids living with mom & dad, the fact is that our society includes a huge diversity of families. Competitive employers do right by their employees by adopting more inclusive plans, and our city should to. Attracting the best employees will get the best use out of our limited tax dollars. In addition, it is not government’s role to enforce a religious view of relationships on its employees, so arguments labeling some people’s families as “immoral” are moot. Government should treat all citizens equally. The Plus One plan doesn’t get all the way there, but it is an improvement, expands access to health care, treats all employees more equally, makes the city a more competitive employer, and won’t cost taxpayers a dime. Seems like a pretty good deal to me.”

(Moral of the story: Yes on 2C!)

Watch it here.

2009 Colorado Springs City Council

The Colorado Springs  City Council will be selecting a replacement for Council Member Jerry Heimlicher, who is resigning to move home to Tennessee. Jerry has been a dedicated advocate for disenfranchised residents, and a voice for diversity and equality.  In choosing a successor, the City Council should honor the voters in District 3 who elected Jerry by picking a replacement who shares Jerry’s passion for making Colorado Springs a welcoming and accessible community for ALL residents.

Let them know you think so! You can send a message to all City Council members by clicking here.